The Rearview Podcast | India’s First Computers | Part 1: A Historian’s Tragedy

In the first of a 3-part series, we discuss the origins of India’s quest, first to procure and then to build a homegrown computer in India. Coming very close to the Indian independence, this is the period that is more closely associated with the birth of India’s nuclear programme. Dr Banerjee’s book: Computing in the Age of Decolonisation narrates this history and begins with the story of DD Kosambi, better known in India’s intellectual history as the father of Marxist historiography. As a graduate in mathematics from Harvard University, Kosambi was primarily a theorist in mathematics and sought to apply this knowledge to building a homegrown computer. However in this first part we explore how these plans came to naught.

The Rearview is a podcast where the hosts guide you on a scenic route through the history of science. Filled with fascinating anecdotes, deep archival dives, and a closer look at the quirky minds behind groundbreaking ideas.

Hosts: Jacob Koshy and Sobhana K Nair

Guest: Professor Dwaipayan Banerjee, Associate Professor of Science, Technology, and Society Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

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